Big Shot in the Dark
Big Shot in the Dark is the fourth album by the American band Timbuk 3, released in 1991. "Mudflap Girl" was released as a single.
Production
Big Shot in the Dark was Timbuk 3's first album as a four-piece band. Courtney Audain played bass and steel drums, and Wally Ingram served as the drummer/percussionist. "The Border Crossing" was inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall. Evan Johns played guitar on "Mudflap Girl".Critical reception
The Chicago Tribune called Timbuk 3 "a distinctly American band both in its spare, rootsy rock sound and its thematic obsession with the American dream gone awry." The Calgary Herald deemed the album "Timbuk 3 at its twangy, idiosyncratic best."Kenneth Bays of AllMusic wrote: "On their fourth album, Timbuk 3 officially became a foursome... there's a newfound sense of instrumental adventurousness all around.... Big Shot in the Dark has a bluesy, droning quality throughout, a vibe that would be amplified further on Timbuk 3's 1994 EP Looks Like Dark to Me."
Track listing
- All songs written by Pat MacDonald, except where noted.
- God Made an Angel
- Sunshine
- Two Medicines
- The Border Crossing
- Big Shot in the Dark
- Mudflap Girl
- Dis•••land
- Wake Up Little Darlin'
- '49 Plymouth
- The Little Things
- Sunshine
Personnel
;Timbuk 3- Pat MacDonald: Vocals, Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Harmonica, Lute, Sampler
- Barbara K. MacDonald: Vocals, Electric Guitars, Violin, Percussion, Keyboards and Programming
- Courtney Audain: Bass, Keyboards, Steel Drums, Various Other Percussion
- Wally Ingram: Drums, Percussion, Handclaps
- Liz Harrah: Organ on track 1
- Evan Johns: Lead and Slide Guitar on track 6
- Gary Moon: Hand claps
- John Treanor: Washboard on tracks 3, 4, and 9
- Arranged and produced by Pat and Barbara K. MacDonald
- Recording by Gary Moon; technical assistance by David Roach
- Mixed by David Tickle
- Mastered by Alan Yoshida at The Mastering Lab